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58
G.—MISCELLANEOUS
1. Old People's Welfare.
General. The Town Clerk, as Honorary Secretary of the
Walthamstow Old People's Welfare Committee, states that the Committee's
"Meals on Wheels" Service provided 18,727 meals during
1956. Six rounds are now operated on Monday, Wednesday and
Friday. The meals are obtained from the Council's Catering
Department and distributed by voluntary workers in cars hired by
the Committee. The scheme has been in operation in this form
since March, 1948, and is an essential one for people who would
not otherwise be able to get a cooked meal.
The Committee also provided seven old people's clubs in
different parts of the Borough and shared the expense of a club at
Woodford Green with the Wanstead and Woodford Old People's
Welfare Association.
The Committee continued to act as the co-ordinating committee
for old people's welfare and maintained close liaison with other
statutory authorities engaged in this work.
Accommodation for the Aged and Chronic Sick
The cold "snap" during February, 1956 produced a large
increase in the number of cases coming to the knowledge of the
Health Department and requiring care and attention. The Health
Committee instructed that a special report was to be made for the
Finance and General Purposes Committee in March. This stated
that 16 of the 24 cases reported in January and February required
admission either to hospital as sick persons, or to welfare accommodation
as frail ambulant persons; ages ranged between 60 and 95
years.
Not only was there difficulty in obtaining accommodation, but
in some cases where it became available, there was refusal on the
part of the person concerned to accept the offer made. In some
cases home nursing, domestic help and "Meals on Wheels" had
to be arranged over the weekend.
It is of interest to note that the effect of cold weather on
general "medical" practice was commented on in the" British
Medical Journal" on the 27th December, 1956. The inquiry
indicated that severe cold weather brought about a marked increase
in the volume of work in the practice concerned, both surgery
attendances and home visiting.
The co-operation of the hospital and welfare services was
always admirable, but the difficulty appears to be wholly one of
insufficient accommodation. Even so, Walthamstow is fortunate
in participating in the geriatric service and accommodation available
at Langthorne Hospital which, however, appears to have far too
large a "catchment" area.